Agape (A gathering of women)

as I have not posted this material sooner. If any of you have ever moved a parent into an assisted living facility (and dealt with all of the emotional and physical issues attached), you understand why I have been overwhelmed with work and details I could not have imagined! I have had friends who have done it and I truly never had a clue about the process. Well, I now know and am filled with compassion for those who have gone through it before and for those of you who will face it in the future. So-I’m sorry, sorry, sorry, but now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m getting back to “normal” life-whatever that is!

Winter is often a time (after the holidays) of slowing down, of hunkering down-if you will-sitting by the fire, reading, catching up on postponed tasks and cooking comfort food while watching beautiful snowflakes falling in our wonderland here in Garrett County. This year however…not so much. We’ve had those occassional snow flurries and even a snow shower or two, but warmer temperatures have led to slushiness (other than our ice-coated last Gathering!) and a grayer winter than normal-at least it seems to me.

It properly sets the mood of our meditation for this Gathering, “Dry Bones” from Joyce Rupp’s book, “May I Have This Dance?” It will work for those of you who participate in Agape via the computer, by necessity or by choice as well of those who I enjoy seeing in person. We may not get through our remarkable women from last month’s frozen-out session and the Dry Bones meditation at our Gathering. But it’s worth your time to ponder the images and participate-even privately-in the lovely guided meditation that Rupp has provided. Our next Gathering isn’t until April, so this will tide you over! Enjoy, relish the images, slow down (in a good way) and reconnect with God through your mind, heart and body.

Hope to see many of you tomorrow at 10 AM at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland.
Agape 2-18-2012

Blessings to you all,
Pam+

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a few years when I took some time on NY Eve to dedicate a toast to the end of the year with a desire only to shake the dust off my shoes and move on! A new year is our opportunity to do just that. In addition to cleaning and clearing out 2011 records and getting ready for the tax season, I enjoy setting up and organizing for 2012. A fresh chance to do it all right this time! Maybe some of you don’t think of organizing, cleaning and clearing as fun, but no matter how you feel about it, it is a fresh start for all of us.
I took a look at our survey of topics of interest to you, the Women of Agape. I found that I had not spent enough time on women heroines from the past. Accordingly our background material contains accounts of some really remarkable women-courageous, effective, assertive, generous-you know, just like us! We will learn about Santa Lucia from Sweden. Queen Vashti is the earliest heroine of our study. She stood up to the King and the court in ancient Persia. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” changed the way our country viewed people different from ourselves. It seems an odd combination, but our next horoine is Dorothy Sayers, an author of mystery novels AND an apologist (one who defends faith). Anne Bradstreet was America’s first poet, a Puritan whose writings debunk the myths of the stogy, prudish Puritan. Fanny Crosby a blind woman, wrote more than 9,000 hymns! The account of Aimee Semple McPherson is fascinating and a wonder since her name is hardly known today. She was quite well known in the first part of the 20th century however. Dowload the pdf and see why! I’m sure we’ve all heard of Joan of Arc, but her story is worth reading…and pondering! Lastly, Phoebe Palmer, the Mother of the Holiness Movement. Like many of us, loss and hardship led to her deepening faith and led her to reach out to others. 25,000 Americans converted due to her efforts (and I’m pretty sure God had something to do with it!)
I have a plaque in my kitchen-which I brought to one Gathering. It says “Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History“. It is true that if we stay carefully and quietly in our “places” and behind the scenes, we will never make history. We must be willing to stand up for justice, peace, conciliation and respect for our vast contributions to our families, friends and our society.
Please plan to join me on January 21st at 10 AM at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. As always, we will have hot coffee, tea and friendship in abundance. If you wish, bring munchies, but DO JOIN US!
God bless you,
Pam+
Agape 1-21-2012 Background Mat

Yep, it’s coming. Autumn Glory is just around the corner and Halloween costumes are in WalMart. You know what that means don’t you? As soon as the Halloween costumes go, Christmas decorations will appear! So I thought we might take some time before we get too harried to think about what we’re about to do and why. In this year of financial stress, it’s even more important to put our time, talent and treasure where it will bring the most satisfying results. Below are posted some articles about practical ideas to save you time and money. But there are also some thought provoking articles about our values and how we spend our time. I hope that these articles will be of interest and help us all to take time to savor a bit.
Of course, I hope you will be able to join us on Saturday, October 1st at the usual time (10 AM) and the usual place (St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland) for what I have come to expect, a lively discussion amongst the remarkable women of Garrett County!
God bless,
Pam+
Agape 10-1-11 Revised

When we hear stories of successful women throughout the ages, we sometimes feel that their accomplishments are somehow out of our reach. We suspect they posses(ed) some extra gift of courage or luck or gumption. Today we will look at some heroines-both from the past and the present. As you will see, they have affected our world greatly. I have a plaque on my kitchen wall that says “Well behaved women seldom make history”. And it’s true that if we remain “nice girls, quiet, obedient and subservient”, we will most likely, leave this world with no marks. Last gathering, we talked about our role as mentors. As we interact with our daughters or daughters-in-law, our sons and our grandchildren, we have opportunities to affect not only now, but the future. Our generation of women have made amazing strides, but there still is a long way to go. The women we will discover in our background material did not settle for the status quo. When they encountered injustice, they spoke up! The more contemporary women offer advice “recipes for success”. See if you agree…
Our next Agape Gathering is Saturday, July 23rd at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. Please join us if you can. Bring a friend or neighbor is you wish. They are welcome as well. Oh-one more thing. I thought that we’d take a look at our church bulletins and see how much we have in common (or not!) in our services. So-please bring a bulletin from your church so we can compare and learn!

7-23-2011 Agape Success Stories

God bless each of you and our beautiful summer,

Pam+
*note: Our background material came from Real Simple Magazine

“God saw everything everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” Gen 1:31. Some experts claim that most of our problems (of mankind in general) are that of a lack of self-esteem. “They” state that the quest for power and greed is really a quest to feel better about ourselves. Women, with society telling us that our appearance is all important, are particularly sensitive to issues about our looks. As we age, society is particularly hard on us as images of the young and beautiful are thrown in our faces. It seems as though we just get to the point of knowing who we are and what we want and then we start falling apart!
This Gathering, we will discuss how we see ourselves, our bodies and our feelings about aging. This year and last, we have focused on life passages. Saturday, May 28th we will talk about the fact that God did create us and stated that we were “good”. When we depreciate ourselves, are we not accepting God’s view of us, his creation? Look over the background material and see if it resonates with you. Most of the material comes from Real Simple Magazine, one of my favorites! I look forward to seeing you and apologize for the Memorial Day weekend scheduling. I would have changed it, but this year am resisting the temptation.
God bless you all,
Pam+

5-28-2011 Agape Back Mat

what it would be like to have a spouse become ill or die from an illness. What are the realities of the situation from the inside looking out? But are our imaginations correct? We have all had friends and relatives lose someone dear. How do we best respond? What things are truly helpful? Do we show up with meals? Offer meals? How can we avoid saying something hurtful? Where is the line between allowing privacy or intruding? What are the unexpected results when troubles hit? What are the blessings?

To learn from those who have or are facing these issues, we have a panel of women who have first hand experience. Thanks to their generosity of spirit, they will share their lives with us when we gather on this coming Saturday, April 9th at 10 AM at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. For this gathering, there is no homework! Do give these issues some thought however and come prepared with questions for these gifted women. Carole Perez, our own Ellen Fritz and Sue Kellam have graciously agreed to give us an insider’s view into this life passage that many of us will face. Come and see. Bring your friends so we as women, can look down this road and be better prepared and more knowledgable. We can be better prepared and informed as well in the delicate dance of being a true friend to a dear one when troubles strike.

I look forward to seeing you as spring teases us! If you cannot join us, please accept my wishes for you to have a beautiful and blessed Easter.

God bless,
Pam+